Rise from the ashes
by Wulvenbeast
Summary: What happens when you make a mistake so large it affects the entire world? Years after the Kyuubi's rampage, the Sandaime is forced to make an impossible decision for the good of Konoha. What happens when that decision comes back to haunt him?
1. You must've lost your mind sir

Hiruzen resisted the urge to laugh as he leaned back in his chair. He was in his seat along with many other men and women of the council inside their chamber. This room inside the hokage monument was reserved for when the council met on issues such as the village economy, or relations with the other villages.

Here he was, the 'God of Shinobi' himself, stuck listening to fully grown men and women squabbling like children over the last piece of candy. It was the end of another year and therefore, it meant another batch of fresh genin.

Every time it was the same. The list of graduates was brought up, and the children were divided into teams based on a series of factors. Individual skills, their personalities, whether or not their techniques could mesh together fluidly, and finally what type of team they were. Of course, the jonin that would be teaching them was picked through the same process. It was a well organized system that had been used since the time of the Shodaime.

But it was still pretty boring. The Sandaime was bored as hell during these meetings, no that he would ever admit it, and he longed for some entertainment. Preferably in the form of a certain orange book.

But then again, there was such a thing as _too_ much entertainment.

The reason for everyone's strife was the fact that this was an extremely rare graduating class. To be comprised of so many clan heirs and heiresses only happened every few generations, and an impressive amount of others had graduated as well, being both civilians and members of less prominent clans. Of course, the crown jewel of the group was Sasuke Uchiha, rookie of the year as well as the last surviving member of Konoha's legendary Uchiha clan.

The boy represented everything in a ninja. He was highly skilled in both nin and taijutsu, as well as bukijutsu, although his genjutsu skills were just on level. He had high chakra reserves for his age and above all, he had the actual mindset of a ninja, unlike most of his peers.

The Hokage's sigh went unnoticed among the noise. Yes, that was the problem with the academy he supposed. Konoha's victory in the Third Shinobi War had solidified their place as the strongest ninja village, and unfortunately it had led to many of it's members becoming complacent with their status.

They were by no means weak, but their methods were not as effective as they had been. Now students spent more time learning about history than how to throw a shuriken.

This led to a smaller number of graduates. The last group had only had one team graduating to become genin while the others were returned to the academy, became couriers or some other station in the shinobi force, or were dropped from the program altogether.

It was disheartening, and it worried the aged hokage. Would Konoha fall due to it's own carelessness?

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Hiruzen stood from his chair.

All noise ceased at the moment. Councilors who had been screaming in each other's faces sat down like the adults they were and watched their leader intently.

The Sandaime looked around slowly, noticing slight flinches as his gaze passed over them. "Now that you're acting your age." More flinches, this time in embarrassment instead of fear. "I believe we should be getting back to the topic of team placements like the respectable, mature adults that we are hmm? He asked, lacing his words with a tinge of killing intent.

His only replies were frantic nods. He just kept himself from smirking._ 'I've still got it,'_ he thought before clearing his throat.

The highest ranked jonin in the village, Shikaku Nara, began to speak. "Hokage-sama the teams are all set, but we have an issue." He stated, looking slightly uncomfortable from the slight crease of his eyebrows.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "What could this problem be?" He inquired. If the team placements were ready, what could possibly be left to do?

"The team consisting of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno is incomplete, despite the fact that they will be led by Kakashi Hatake. Taking another genin wouldn't fix anything, and there's nobody else competent enough."

Hiruzen sighed._ 'Of course,'_ he mentally groaned. _'A problem that's impossible to fix without messing something else up.'_ Taking another genin out of their assigned team wouldn't do any good, and allowing a dropout to pass was a recipe for disaster.

An idea struck him. It was extremely risky. In fact, if anyone else were to suggest it, they would certainly be passed of as completely insane and locked up without a second thought, but it was the only thing he could come up with.

"Members of the council. I have a suggestion . . . "

* * *

Well I'm back! I'm UBER sorry for being gone for so long, but I was busy having a life and dealing with the shit that comes with it. But I'm here with a new story and completely new ideas.

I'm making this a grittier, more realistic version of the series. This fic is dark, there is no ridiculous immediate friendships or ideas that love can do everything. This is my portrayal of the ninja world, and there will be many new elements.

For anyone who's wondering, bukijutsu is the use of weapons. Review please! WHY DON"T YOU GUY REVIEW?!


	2. Naruto's back baby!

**I'm here with chapter 2 as I introduce our beloved protagonist himself! Like, favorite, follow, tell your friends, relax, eat a chicken! But above all, make sure you enjoy the story and give me feedback!**

**Reviews are always appreciated. Just be honest.**

* * *

It was extremely dark in this room, it's single occupant noted.

And it was true. The room was in the shape of a box, walls everywhere, a closed door in the front cutting off all chances of light and a pile of straw to provide minimal comfort, though it went unnoticed by the figure pacing slowly.

He was dressed in his usual rags, a navy blue shirt and simple pants. The same garb was worn by the people, _his_ people; everywhere. _'Heh, pretty funny how the only_ _thing these nations can agree on is the prisoner's assigned clothing. Those morons all act like they have the right to be noble when they're all just glorified mercenaries competing for the biggest paycheck.' _His foot crushed a pebble underfoot, but he barely noticed. Shoes were considered a luxury in that place. After so many years of scratches and blisters from every random piece of shit somebody left on the ground, their feet toughened until it was like walking with a long smooth callus.

Of course that wasn't a bad thing, especially when you were kicking someone in the face, but he wished he actually _had_ someone to kick in the face, hours after hours of being stuck in solitary confinement wasn't doing much for him.

Not unless you counted boring him to death. _Very slowly_.

It had been surprising when the masked bastards had come for him, apparently the old geezer wanted his presence for something important. His chuckle echoed eerily, bouncing off the walls and back into his ears, but he ignored it.

Whatever he was being summoned for must have been important if the mighty _Sandaime Hokage_ wanted to speak with him.

Yup, whatever it was must have been _real_ important for the geezer to grow the nerve to look him in the eye again after throwing him to the wolves all those years ago. His features scrunched unpleasantly as his pacing resumed, more rapidly than before. Just thinking about the old man was making his blood boil. After all these years what the hell could he possibly want?

Soon the only sound coming from the room was his footsteps clattering against the rough stone. He ignored the jingling of the gauntlet on his right arm. It was a plain device, black with a red orb in the center. Every prisoner, regardless of age or sex was required to wear it. They were designed to suppress a person's chakra so they couldn't channel it.

It was pretty effective, but then again, ever since the Land of Snow had introduced technology to the rest of the elemental countries, everything had changed. Transportation became easier through the invention of trains, guns appeared in every military force, and nothing was the same since. Chakra restraining devices were incredibly useful against shinobi.

Prisoners who were used to throwing out jutsu to serve their purposes were suddenly robbed of their power. Hell, when they were outfitted with a new model once the old one was outgrown, they were completely disoriented by the sudden return of their precious life energy that they couldn't even try pulling off jutsu before they were chained again.

Suddenly his anger exploded with a snarl as his fist crashed into a wall, throwing up a small dust cloud. The prisoner stilled himself as he felt his body's shaking begin to recede. He released a breath he hadn't been aware of holding in a long sigh as he felt small twinges coming from his knuckles.

He withdrew his bleeding fist and stared as it began to steam. It always happened the same. When he got hurt, the wound always healed up much faster than he'd ever seen anyone else. Small cuts and bruises were gone in seconds, others . . . took longer to heal. Didn't get rid of scars either. He smirked bitterly to himself as his skin finished knitting itself back together.

He sniffed a few times at his hand before licking the blood off, making sure to get every last drop. He ignored the metallic taste as it slithered down his throat, he was too used to the practice to even think of being squeamish. Finished, he wiped his knuckles dry on his pant leg. While a healing factor was useful, it didn't replace blood lost, so he made sure to get as much of the precious liquid back into his system.

He shook his wasn't the time to be reminiscing._ 'Still,'_ he thought with a quick look around. _'It's not like I have much to do in here anyway. Might as well get some rest.' _The figure yawned, briefly exposing noticeably larger than average canines. And much _sharper_ than average canines as well, before making his way towards the pile of straw.

Curling up so he was practically hidden in the stuff, the prisoner allowed his weariness to consume him. The only things left in his mind being dreams of darkness and opportunity.

* * *

As Hiruzen made his way along the corridor, regret was the only thing he could feel. This entire building was a monument to the failures of humanity, and those who were saddled with the consequences of another's failure.

This was such a scenario.

It had been three and a half years since he had seen Naruto. Hiruzen had seen many horrible things in his long career, he had experienced great suffering, and made others experience the same, but he could admit he had never felt so low since that day. The only experiences that came close was the losses of Minato along with Kushina and his beloved wife Biyako.

The boy's face, tears streaking down his whiskered cheeks as he was dragged away still haunted him to this day.

* * *

_"No ojisan! Don't let them take me away!" Naruto cried, flinging his hands out in a feeble attempt to reach for the old man. The aged hokage could see it on his face, the desperation, the fear, the hope that whatever was happening to him, his beloved jiji would save him as he always did._

_But he had done nothing. Only watched as the reality of the situation crashed upon the boy as his face seemed to darken with horror. And then the old man saw something that frightened him._

_The betrayal on the boy's face shifting into pure rage. Eyes blazing as his he settled for glaring at Hiruzen as they took him away. There was no more screaming, no struggling, just those eyes staring at him with a frightening intensity. It was the stare of a predator facing it's most hated foe, eyes alight with malice and fury, their only desire being to have just one chance to get at their enemy. To rip and tear with all the savagery they felt in their heart as they felt their foe begin to weaken before going for the kill._

* * *

But what frightened him most, was that all that darkness, all that pain and rage were all coming from Naruto. Not a trace of the Kyuubi's power anywhere. It wouldn't have been possible for the demon to be exerting any influence anyway, as prisoners had their chakra sealed off completely, leaving them as helpless as civilians.

He snorted, causing a puff of smoke to rise before vanishing. No. Not helpless. Anyone with ninja training was dangerous, whether they had access to their chakra or not. Too many shinobi took that for granted, and ended up being killed by a foe they believed to be helpless. That was something they would have to fix.

"Hokage-sama, we're here." The words snapped him out of his stupor, as he nodded to the anbu captain. The man said nothing more as he slowly pulled the door open. Hiruzen could feel the man's reluctance. It was the duty of a shinobi to protect their kage, and the anbu followed that better than almost anyone. Allowing his kage to enter the room of a criminal alone was going against everything the man knew.

All that, he could tell from his movements. There was a reason he was called The God of Shinobi.

As the light crept across the floor, he took a quick look around. The room was completely bare aside from a pile of straw in the left corner, and the figure curled within it.

His chest seemed to constrict as he saw the boy's eyes flash open and immediately train their hazel and sapphire gaze upon him. In an instant, all the fury from their last meeting flashed across the child's face before it was gone so fast he wondered if he had imagined it.

He was far bigger than the last time Hiruzen had seen him. He was taller, and from the fact that his shirt actually didn't lean inward when he exhaled, better fed. It broke the man's heart to see that Naruto was in better shape after living in _prison_ than in the village. The boy's whisker marks were still there, slightly shaggier than he remembered, and his hair had become a spiky mess, extending around his head and reaching the tops of his eyes. All the streaks of red in his blond mane reminded him of an old recipe he'd had in the land of Tea, macaroni and cheese with tomato sauce mixed in.

He could see Kushina's facial structure in him. Those thick cheeks and round eyes combined with the smooth features of Minato's chin made him a perfect physical combination of the two.

The boys lips were curved in a sardonic smile as he looked at his betrayer.

"Well well well," he drawled. "Look what the cat dragged in.

* * *

Naruto's eyes shot open as a sudden explosion of light entered the room.

He hurled himself out of the pile of hay, ignoring the jangling of that damn gauntlet, and rolled to his feet, crouching as he assessed the threat.

His eyes roamed wildly before they settled on the new occupant of his cell. _'Jiji?'_ He wondered in astonishment before fury replaced his surprise. _'What the hell are you_ _doing here you bastard?'_ He barely kept himself from screaming. His fists trembled for a moment before his entire posture changed. He relaxed himself as he slowly stood to his feet.

_'Might as well screw with him for a bit.'_ He smiled at the old man. "Well well well," he drawled. "Look what the cat dragged in."

Ignoring the man for a minute, he swaggered around while watching the hokage out of the corner of his eye. He wanted to see the old man's face as he broke him down, watch the pain fill him and become too much. It was all he deserved after all.

To his disappointment, the man was like a statue, his aged eyes crinkling as he tracked Naruto's movements with almost no effort. Naruto was frowning mentally, but he kept the smile on his face as he turned to face the man.

"I'm glad you decided to visit my humble abode," he said, sarcasm oozing from his voice. "Now why would you, the mighty hokage, come to visit little ol' me in tiny prison cell? I'm sure you have more important things to be doing _Hiruzen_." He gave a mocking bow at the end to hid his smirk when the geezer flinched at the cold use of his name.

"Watch your tone boy." His eyes shot towards the anbu hiding in the far corner of the ceiling. "You're speaking to Hokage-sama so show some respect." He demanded, lacing his words carefully with killing intent.

Naruto sneered at him. He called that killing intent? He'd felt worse when he tried to cut the lunchline. "Sorry, I don't speak mindless drone." Turning to the geezer, he turned on his mask of friendliness once more. "Hiruzen, could you get him to leave? Prison has a strict no pets policy." He taunted, smirking when he felt the killing intent increase.

_'So not everyone in Konoha is a complete pussy,'_ he thought. _'Good.'_

It was refreshing to find someone who wasn't afraid to show how pissed off they were in the presence of some noble or other person of importance. Almost everyone in Konoha he'd met acted like a total dick towards him when he was alone, but when they saw him with the hokage, they were sure to call praises and greet him with false cheer, as if they actually knew him.

Just thinking about those times pissed him off. He couldn't believe what a weak little bitch he'd been then. Always running and hiding like a coward when someone was after him. Whether it was for stealing food, doing a prank, or just being unlucky enough to run into someone pissed enough to attack him, he ran. And one person chasing him became two, then five, then fifteen, and then he had an entire mob after him when more than half of them didn't even know why they were chasing him.

But they didn't care.

They would always find some way to corner him. No matter how many corners he took, stands he knocked over to slow them down, no matter how fast he ran, they would catch him. And they beat him like a dog. Kicking, punching, throwing him into things, hitting him with whatever they could find, and anything else they tried it, and all he did was curl up and beg them to stop.

Until that one day, when he decided to stop running. He decided to fight back.

But like everything else in his life, it went to hell a bit after he tried.

_'No!'_ He shook his head violently. _'I won't go through that again!'_ He raised slightly trembling hands to his head as he finished staving off the memories. When Naruto met his gaze Hiruzen was surprised to see the same smile on his face as though he hadn't just experienced a breakdown.

"Naruto," the geezer said his name as if he still had the right. "There has been a dilemma in the team placements of this year's genin. You see, one of the teams contains Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto snorted. Of course the brooding baby still needed someone to tuck him in bed. "Ahem, well," he continued, ignoring the boy's interruption. "Because all of the other teams have been assembled, adding another genin to his team would collapse the whole system. I'm sure you understand?"

Naruto cocked his head inquisitively. "So you're saying you need me to balance out your precious avenger's team?" At the geezer's nod, he smirked. "And what do I get out of this I wonder?" He tapped his chin in a mock thoughtful pose. "Do I get out of here with all charges dropped? And the disappearance of this-" he held out his gauntlet, shaking it for effect. "-wonderful accessory? Because that would be quite nice." He shrugged. "Doesn't really matter if I keep or not, but we wouldn't want me to get in an accident because I couldn't use my chakra now would we?"

The boy's face lost all traces of amusement, becoming hard as steel as he attempted to glare holes through the old man. "Because you have enough on your conscience," he snarled.

The geezer tried not to meet his gaze, but their eyes met anyway. He saw the pain and sadness in the old man's eyes. The desire to be forgiven. _'Fuck that noise,'_ he thought aggressively. He refused to let him get off so easily, if ever._ 'I highly doubt that ever happening,'_ he thought cynically as the man flinched once again.

"Naruto I-"

"Forget it," the blond cut him off. "Let's just get this over with."

* * *

Sighing, the old man approached him, ignoring the tensing of the anbu's shoulders. He merely held up a hand to signal that his help was unneeded as he made his way to the boy who had once been a shining beacon of joy in his life, but was now so bitter and cold he felt chilled just by looking at him.

Reaching toward the boy's upraised arm, he laid his hands on the orb in the gauntlet's center and concentrated as he slowly pumped chakra into the device. His eyes were completely closed, as he knew the boy wouldn't make a move if he wanted to see the sun again.

Allowing his body to relax was something Hiruzen longed for, especially after a hard day of work. Feeling the energy flowing through his body; it was almost an ethereal sensation. Like merely floating in a river as he allowed the current to take him where it pleased. Like he was _free_.

It was only a few seconds, but to the aged Kage it might as well have been days as he released his fear, regret, hope; _all_ of his feelings into that one displacement of chakra. He wished it could have gone on just a bit longer, just a few . . . more . . . moments . . .

_'But all good things must come to an end,'_ he recalled bitterly as the orb was infused with his energy, and the gauntlet's hiss to signal it's loosening snapped him out of his stupor. Barely withholding a sigh, he stepped back to view the results of his work.

* * *

Naruto threw the gauntlet off as though burned. Finally the damn thing was off! He felt like whooping for a moment before he was cut off by a sudden sensation of nausea running through him.

His veins burned as though they were filled with acid, blood boiling against his skin everywhere as a feeling of wholeness; long forgotten in his years of imprisonment, returned to him. It was just too much. Burning like fire, eyes watering with unshed tears of agony greater than anything he had ever experienced consumed him. It was just . . . too . . . much . . .

He staggered and found himself leaning against the wall. Furious with himself for showing weakness, he pushed himself off, making sure he was steady on his trembling legs.

Sweat dripped down his forehead and he vomited his breakfast of slop. Good nutritious slop. Naruto shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him? That stuff was "healthy" crap on a plate.

_'No. Stop rambling to yourself. Stop rambling in the first place.'_ He chuckled in amusement. His imagination never left him after all these years. It probably helped keep him sane all these years.

_'Like you're anyone to talk about being sane,'_ his mind taunted. He smirked. When did he ever call himself sane? He said it _helped_ him stay sane, not like his sanity lasted.

Sanity was overrated anyway.

Wait, the pain was gone. No burning, no tears; just a sweating boy who had just unleashed a monsoon of chakra unknowingly as it flowed freely for the first time in years.

Naruto stood tall. Proudly staring at the Hokage's stunned expression, his face broke out into a mischievous grin. "Well what are we waiting for geezer? I have a life to get back to."

* * *

**Well that's my second chapter!**

**Tell me what you think! All feedback is welcome! Dunno when the next one's gonna be out, but I'm gonna make sure it's better than this one. Until next time my wonderful readers!**


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